Wolters Kluwer Health has released new research examining the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in medication-related workflows and the importance of trust, transparency, and human oversight. The findings indicate that healthcare organizations are accelerating AI adoption, while healthcare professionals and consumers continue to emphasize the need for reliable medication information and human involvement in decision-making.
Nearly all healthcare professionals surveyed reported that their organizations were progressing toward AI-enabled medication workflows. However, consumers expressed greater caution about automated medication-related decisions. Only 27% said they strongly trusted automated systems to correctly identify potential drug interactions without the direct involvement of a healthcare professional.
The research is based on surveys of more than 1,000 consumers and 117 senior professionals representing pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), payer drug management teams, retail pharmacies, and digital health technology companies. The findings show that 99% of healthcare professionals reported their organizations were advancing toward AI-enabled medication workflows, while 98% expected their organizations' reliance on curated and continuously updated medication intelligence to increase as automation expands.
Consumer responses indicated continued demand for verification and professional guidance. Approximately 68% said they would independently verify medication information always or most of the time when it was generated through AI-enabled processes. Additionally, 59% preferred consulting a healthcare professional when discussing medication side effects. The survey also found that 57% of consumers had experienced at least one issue related to medication information or coordination, while 51% had encountered delays or difficulties associated with medication prior authorizations.
The findings highlight the challenges facing PBMs, payer drug management teams, retail pharmacies, and digital health technology companies as they integrate AI into medication-related processes. These organizations need to ensure that medication information is applied consistently and transparently across connected workflows, with appropriate mechanisms for reviewing and supporting decisions.
Wolters Kluwer's Medi-Span provides curated medication information intended to support clinical and commercial healthcare workflows. Its capabilities include structured drug data, a proprietary Generic Product Identifier (GPI) classification system, pricing information, clinical screening, and resources for AI-enabled applications. These resources are designed to support clinical decision-making, commercial processes, interoperability, and automation across healthcare environments.
Medi-Span is used by PBMs, health plans, pharmacies, health systems, and healthcare technology organizations to support medication-related processes across the healthcare ecosystem.
Wolters Kluwer stated that Medi-Span builds on more than 50 years of medication information expertise and continues to support formulary management, claims processing, pricing, dispensing, clinical operations, and other medication-related workflows.
The company has also published a white paper titled 'Building Confidence at Scale: The Medi-Span Vision for the Intelligence Layer Beneath Every Medication Decision'. The publication examines how fragmented information, AI adoption, and changing consumer expectations are affecting medication workflows. It also explores how curated therapeutic and medication intelligence can support consistency, reviewability, and confidence in healthcare processes.
The survey was conducted by CITE Research in August 2026.
Click here to read the original press release.
